This eleven-part series by Tricia Tillin is an urgent appeal to reject current teachings on the overshadowing and anointing of the supposed Glory of God in the endtimes. It looks at teachings from the old Latter Rain movement and shows how those teachings and many others have led to a belief that there will be a sealing or anointing for those who have prepared themselves for transformation.

The topics of the ten major sections, together with the appendix, and PDF version for download, are found on the CONTENTS page. Alternatively, each section is briefly linked below:

You know the speech that contains the stirring words:
"I have a dream..."
Well, I feel like starting this article - I HAVE A NIGHTMARE!

You see, God took my hand (metaphorically) and
led me to the screen of history, and what I saw coming our
way was the culmination of all the heresies that demons have
produced on the earth since the Garden of Eden.

It seemed like things I have been talking about, writing
about and saying for YEARS all came together in my mind and went
BANG! And it all made sense. Horrible, terrible sense.

I feel I need to write and warn you about what is being planned.
God does not allow his people to walk blind and ignorant into danger.
We cannot prevent snares being laid, but God shows us where they
are, and then only the foolish go ahead and walk right into them
unheeding.

SUMMARY

Overshadowing
For years the New Agers have openly taught that an OVERSHADOWING
will occur. This has to do with the man they call the World Teacher,
or Maitreya. However, a more subtle and deceptive spiritual overshadowing
is due to take place in the apostate churches. They believe it to
be the empowering and infilling of the Spirit, but it will be a major
new invasion of deceiving spirits.

Joel's Army
There's been a growing militancy in the churches, fuelled by the
belief that the anointed ones are to be forged into a "mighty
army" for the Lord, which they mistakenly see in the book of
Joel. Now talk of judgement on the "rebellious" is routine
fare for prophetic revivalist sites.

Apostles and Prophets
We are hearing more and more about the need to raise up Apostles
and Prophets in these last days to edify the Body and bring it to
fulness and unity. These endtimes Apostles and Prophets are far from
simple church leaders as we used to understand the meaning of the
word. They are seeking the authority to act as Christ Himself in
dominion over the Body.

Third Day
If you have read my "New Thing" set of articles on this site, you may recall that I spoke of the
concept of a spiritual "third day" or "third era".
This idea was already deeply rooted in sonship groups, but is now
making headway in revivalist circles. The third day is a spiritual
new age, characterised by revelation knowledge. The written word
is superseded by direct communication with the spirit world.

Glory Cloud
You may also remember that I have written about the likelihood of
a spiritual "coming" before [or even instead of] the physical
return of Jesus Christ to this planet. This is seen as the Shekinah
"glory" now supposedly appearing in church after church
throughout the world. Eventually, it is believed, the glory will
dwell permanently with his people, as the manifested Christ on earth.
The gold dust falling is a visible manifestation of this glory.

Seal of God
A more recent, but associated nightmare is the possibility of a visible
sign, a mark, appearing on the bodies (foreheads?) of those who believe
they are the "anointed overcomers" of the New Order. Alternatively
there may be strong pressure to join an elect number of believers
who have received a spiritual sealing or mark of God in the forehead.
All this will be explained later in the article, but for now I just
want to say that this most dangerous and blasphemous sign must be
avoided at all costs!

The problem with writing this article is that I know many people will
be scratching their heads in disbelief and saying "she's really
flipped this time".

I find it difficult to believe, myself - the idea of the churches
falling into such a deep pit of heresy. But then I felt this way
when the Toronto Blessing first appeared. I worried, then, that I
was going too far; but everything I said has come to pass, and MORE!

The Lord seemed to say, at that time: "Don't hold back your
articles because you think what you say is too wild and could never
happen. Not only will it happen, but they will go further still.
They will do things you could never imagine..."

Now I feel the same way. So I can't hold back, because this may
be my only opportunity to warn you before it's too late.

Latter-Rain/Sonship was the seed

Way back in the days before this madness, when there was time to
study and read books, the Lord gave me a foundational knowledge of
the Latter Rain doctrines. (Little did I know, but He was doing the
same thing with other people that I would later meet, and we had
all been steered by the Holy Spirit in the same direction - to seeing
that these heretical sonship doctrines would return and take over
the Church in the endtimes.)

That education on the sonship/latter-rain became vital in the early
90's when the Kansas City Prophets appeared, and even more crucial
in 1994 at the outbreak of the Toronto Blessing. Hardly anyone could
see that these events were part of the sonship agenda at the time.
However:

Now, almost everybody who writes about the Toronto Blessing has
a chapter about the Latter Rain doctrines and their foundational
influence on the Revival movements!

Now, sonship doctrines are openly taught as part and parcel of
the Revival, and anyone who studies the Toronto movement acknowledges
the Latter Rain input.

Now, the leaders don't even try to disguise their love of the
sonship doctrines, whereas before they denied all knowledge and
involvement in them. So much for their honesty!

Latter Rain doctrines have become central to today's heresy in the
Church. What satan could not do in the 1940's, he's done today -
changed the thinking of thousands of believers and launched an entirely
new way of reading scripture. However, the roots of those heresies
go back further than the 1940's - MUCH, MUCH further back. The only
NEW aspect is how widely it has been accepted today, whereas in earlier
centuries it was always identified as heresy and rejected.

Don't think for a moment that we have in this revival a "new
revelation" from the Holy Spirit. This is not new at all, but
very old, very satanic and it is the DOCTRINE OF DEMONS.

(I hope you are familiar with the "New Thing" series of
articles, because they contain much information and background knowledge
useful to understanding what is happening in the Church today. See
the contents and download the article in PDF format if you prefer.
Click here: "New Thing" Contents
List ).

The Relevance for Believers

Ordinary Christians may be tempted to think that, as long as they
leave the revival people alone to stew in their own juice, there's
no real danger. The false doctrines will just pass them by. Unfortunately
not!

We have to remember that the events leading up to the Return of
the Lord will affect us ALL, every man, woman and child on this planet.
We cannot escape by sticking our heads into the sand and hoping things
will carry on the same old way for ever. Whether we like it or not,
the false doctrines will bring pressures to bear on us for which,
perhaps, we are unprepared. The revival plan to "open the gates"
to allow full communication with the spirit world will result in
the greatest influx of demons ever known on this earth!

It will also plunge us into a battle against evil on an unprecedented
scale, and those who turn a blind eye to the build-up in these days
will be least prepared to stand against the devil and all his armies
when the time comes.

Also, understanding the events and manifestations surrounding the
revival has never been easy, but outside the context of the sonship
doctrines it becomes impossible. Only those who do a bit of homework
now will perceive the REAL dangers in the future.

Allegorical Interpretations

It must not be forgotten that these false doctrines are "based
on" scripture, although they are not truly biblical. Some people
are thrown when the Bible is brought out to support new doctrines
and, because they are not fully grounded in the word of God, they
let one or two isolated scriptures sway them into accepting heresy.

Truth is not simply "based on" scriptures - it is consistent
with the bible AS A WHOLE. God's truth never contradicts itself.

Secondly, people will take the same beloved verses that we are familiar
with, then re-interpret them according to a symbolic or allegorical
meaning to suit their own revelations. Beware of accepting biblical
terms and phrases at face value in the revival, for often the meaning
has been changed out of all recognition. The new doctrine is based
on a different view of scripture (that "new paradigm")
and follows a different pathway but using the same terminology.

A good example is the use of the word "rapture" which
ordinary Christians know as the catching away of believer into the
air to meet with the Lord at his Coming; but in some circles today
the same word "rapture" has come to mean the ecstatic joy
a Christian experiences when the glory comes in fulness and transforms
the anointed ones into spiritual beings on earth. "Carried away
in God" is one new meaning of the term "rapture" -
another is being "caught up" to a new spiritual level of
anointing and authority. The term "Rapture" can mean a
variety of different things according to the doctrine of each minister,
not necessarily being taken to be with the Lord. So - beware!

For example, Richard Riss - a writer at the heart of the current
revival - has this to say in part two of "PREPARING FOR THE
COMING OF THE LORD" (New Wine Archive-Date: Tue, 9 Aug 1994):

"In Ephesians 2:2, Satan, or the "spirit that is now working in
the sons of disobedience," is called "the prince of the power of
the air." The "air" in this context is a place, or atmosphere,
of spiritual authority. At the time of Christ's coming, we will
be caught up into this place of spiritual authority (I Thess. 4:14-17)
To be caught up in the clouds of glory to meet the Lord in this
atmosphere of spiritual authority does not necessarily entail a
literal bodily removal from the earth. In fact, if it did entail
our removal from the earth, it would be a permanent removal: "and
thus we shall always be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:17). But the
entire thrust of Scripture is that we will have a resurrected body
on earth, and that the heavens and the earth will both be regenerated,
or renewed (Acts 3:21, Matt. 19:28). If there is to be a bodily
removal of the saints at all, it can only be temporary.

The entire bible, and especially the book of Revelation, is treated
allegorically and spiritually by many leaders today. As "apostle"
Chuck Pierce says,"we live in different times, so we must think
prophetically".

The events of Revelation are not as we know them to be. The objects
seen and events taking place are given a whole new interpretation.
Never assume, when reading material on the web or talking to others,
that the terminology is understood in just one way. Today, you need
to check what people really mean.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PLAN

Before I get into the sonship Plan in detail, I want to lay out
the structure and timetable for you. This will help you to grasp
an overall picture rather than focussing on one or two controversial
points in particular.

(I should point out that not all leaders teach the same doctrine.
Dealing with heresy is like trying to pin a jelly to the wall - it
keeps moving and changing. While God's truth is basically the same
wherever you go in the Christian world, these doctrines have many
variations from group to group. None the less, the overall aim and
events remain the same.)

Restoration: Not long after the birth of the Church, it became
stifled by tradition and laws, and the vibrancy and spiritual power
of the Early Church was lost. This needed to be RESTORED, and the
process took centuries. From time to time, certain individuals
or groups would gain access to the secrets of power and authority,
and they would begin preaching the "kingdom message"
but up until this century they were seen as heretics and rejected
by the established churches.

Latter Rain: Sooner or later, once the flesh of the dry-bones-Church
had been revived by the restoration of early church principles
and government, the Joel outpouring of the latter days would begin,
and this would bring back spiritual gifting, revelation, and apostolic
authority to the Church. The "new thing" would come,
the skeleton would rise up empowered by the Spirit, and world revival
would follow. Several groups began claiming the latter-rain outpouring
from the early years of the 20th century, notably the 1940/1950
Latter Rain Revival in Canada. However, all these prototypes fizzled
out, and were later proclaimed to be "mere sprinklings and
drops of the rain to come."

Baptism in the Spirit: The turning point came in the 1960's with
a worldwide renewal accompanied by spiritual gifts. The conversion
experience was seen as the Outer Court of the Tabernacle, Baptism
in the Spirit moved the believer into the Holy Place of Ministry.
However, the Holy of Holies containing the Presence of God had
yet to be entered! - [NB: I do not deny the true biblical infilling
of the Holy Spirit].

Five-Fold Ministry: [1960's onwards] One important feature to
be restored in this latter-day church was to be the ministry of
apostle, prophet, teacher, pastor and evangelist "For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ"
(Eph 4:11-13). This verse was reinterpreted from its traditional
meaning, as we shall see.

New Revelations: [1970's onwards] Once the new structures had
been set in place, and the people were willing to submit to them
(shepherding and covering schemes all helped this process along),
the PROPHETS would introduce NEW DOCTRINES by direct inspiration
of the Spirit. This would begin the next phase of development,
from the old structures to the new paradigm. Now not only the structure
and form of the churches was changing, but the core beliefs. For
example, literal pre-millennial understanding of eschatology altered
to post-millennial allegory.

Apostolic Authority: [1980's onwards] Upholding and enforcing
these new doctrines would be the renewed priesthood ruling the
churches, the "anointed" apostles. These were not to
be mere servants of the people, but kings and rulers, beyond contradiction.
To question these apostles was tantamount to rebelling against
God, since the Apostles were representatives of Christ on earth.
Being "saved" was not now enough. Believers had to be
"disciples" of the leadership, passive and obedient,
to qualify for a part in the New Church. A network of interconnected
and related apostles was to be set up in every city, having headship
of all the new churches.

Unity: A most important factor in the restoration of the worldwide
Church was to be the unity of all believers, for without this the
glory could not return to the spiritual Temple. Remember, that
Ephesians verse promising fullness, perfection and Christ-likeness
had said "Till we all come in the unity of the faith...,"
Accordingly, all dissent and inter-denominational strife had to
be silenced (or, swept under the carpet). Treaties and covenants
were drawn up for ministers to sign, wherein they vowed not to"criticise
eachother". The Roman Catholic Church (especially and mostly
its charismatic wing) was also incorporated as part of the Restored
Church..

Impartations of Spiritual Power: [1990's onwards] Having reformed
the structure, teachings, headship and "tabernacle worship"
of the Church, the next phase was to cry out for the Latter Rain
outpouring. This arrived on cue in 1993/94 and was trumpeted as
the "new beginning", the first manifestation of the returning
GLORY. The spiritual power now falling on meetings was NOT Baptism
in the Holy Spirit but the entrance into the Holiest. This new
inner-court anointing for the Endtimes progressed the believer
into the Shekinah-Presence of God. The Glory was at last beginning
to return to the "Ark" of the Church, and the River of
Life that would eventually renew the entire earth was beginning
to flow from the "Temple".

Fulness: The final stages of this Restoration process are believed
to be very near. The aim is to establish the Kingdom rule of God
on earth. Soon the Glory will be manifested permanently as GOD
INDWELLING HIS PEOPLE on earth. This will transform the prepared
remnant-believers into spiritual beings, full of wisdom, knowing
all things, irresistible and immune from all harm. Those so blessed
will have received the "sealing from God" in their foreheads,
the mark that distinguishes them from the rebellious and disobedient.
They will become the new spiritual rulership of earth, God incarnate.
(This is supposed to be the Rapture). This is known as the Adoption
of the Sons, or the Manifestation of the Sons of God. Note that
only the "sons" are at this time transformed. The rest
of the world Church (the Bride) has yet to be purged and made ready
for her spiritual marriage.

Judgement: What follows is the most worrying aspect of all this.
The new Government of the Church and World will take upon themselves
the task of ridding the earth of all God's enemies in a cleansing
action, helped by the angels of heaven. They will "purify"
the Bride and make her ready. (I hardly dare imagine how). Eventually
the Bride will submit to her "lord" - the Corporate Christ
on earth - and her marriage to the "son" of God will
be consummated. All those who refuse to submit to the glorified
sons of God will be removed from earth, so that a New Heavens and
Earth are created. Only then will Jesus return physically to "claim
his kingdom".

After that short preview, you will of course want to see evidence
of the Plan in the words of the revival leadership. There is more
than enough evidence, but it is not easy to digest. The danger lies
in being swamped, but I am going to press right on with....

THE MAIN POINTS

I feel an urgency from the Lord to get this article out. It is important
information that must be placed in the hands of all who need it.
Over the last couple of weeks I have amassed reams of relevant data
and quotes, with supporting material, and I have been working on
an explanatory overview to set it all in context. Yet the prompting
of the Lord is such that I am going to "cut to the chase"
and get right away to the main point so as to emphasise the really
IMPORTANT message from the Lord at the heart of this article, which
is:

Do NOT receive any mark/sealing that is offered, and

Beware of a spiritual overshadowing of "love and unity"
that is supposedly bringing the world into a new era of goodwill.

To explain the "sealing", I must first explain the significance
of the gold. The gold-teeth and gold-dust miracles are undeniably
happening so we cannot deny them. The revival leaders are keeping
quiet about their prophetic meaning. David Pytches has said he "doesn't
know what they mean". Perhaps. Or perhaps he's being guarded
about the meaning of the gold miracles because he knows the ordinary
Christian public are not ready for Latter Rain doctrine, and he knows
that the gold miracles cannot be explained satisfactorily outside
of the sonship timetable and allegorical interpretation of scripture.

These appearances of gold are but a prelude to a far greater event.
The gold represents the Presence of God, or the Glory supposedly
about to descend upon and INTO the Church! It is the heralding of
a GOLDEN AGE about to come to the Church (supposedly)!

At the same time, the gold is also a precursor to the mark or seal
of God that must come upon all those who are part of that elect endtime
"remnant" body - the only ones who will escape the coming
judgement.

The scriptures in Revelation 7:3 are being spiritualised so that
they now refer to a small number out of the Church (instead of the
Tribes of Israel) being sealed by the angels in preparation for a
cleansing action against all rebels. Here's a reference found on
a website that links together the gold miracles and the seal of God:

The Seal of God [Rev 7:3] [The Angel went] saying, "Do not harm
the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants
of our God upon their foreheads."
[Rev 9:4] they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or
any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have
not the seal of God upon their foreheads;
[Eph 4:30.7] And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of redemption.
[Acts 2:3.11] And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like
as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
[Rev 3:18.8] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,
that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
People today all over the world are are experiencing the outpouring
of God's Holy Spirit, being manifested in one dramatic way by gold
miraculously appearing in their mouths, in their teeth, on their
hands, and on their foreheads!--- I don't know if people *MUST*
have gold appear in their bodies by the Holy Spirit to be sanctified
as Christ's Bride and Church....[MY NOTE - BUT I THINK HE'S HINTING
IT COULD POSSIBLY BE THAT WAY --- and please note, the sealing
of God does not appear on the hands, only the forehead. It is the
mark of the beast that is in the hand or forehead.]

FRANKLIN HALL BOOKLET
He taught that the Manchild Company would be rulers on earth,
filled with the Glory of God

In the fall of 1946, a "major fasting
and prayer daily revival center" was established in San Diego,
California. Under the leadership of Franklin Hall (assisted
by Jack Walker, father of child evangelist "Little David" Walker),
the teaching of fasting as a means of bringing about revival
and the "restoration" of the Church spread throughout the Pentecostal
world.

Hall and his wife, Helen, sold off some assets and borrowed
against their home to finance the printing of "millions of
pieces of literature" to send to people all over the world.
The Hall's claim this mail campaign resulted in the great healing
revivals of the late forties and early fifties.

It was during this time (1946) that Franklin Hall wrote his book,
'Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and Prayer,' which was to
have a significant impact upon the world of Pentecostalism.

Many people, little known at that time, were greatly influenced
by Hall's literature. Gordon Lindsay's publication, 'Voice of Healing,'
helped spread the fasting message, as well as did Thomas and Evelyn
Wyatt's worldwide radio broadcasts.

Hall's newsletter records how others received his message:"Rev.
Walter Frederick, former Assembly superintendent in Canada, sent
Brother Hall's literature to every Pentecostal preacher in Canada....A
few of the others (not too well-known then) ministers [sic] who had
major fasting experiences by our writings in the 1946, 1947 to 1950
fasting era and who also became famous are:

Wm. Freeman

Gordon Lindsay

A.A. Allen

O.L. Jaggers

Gayle Jackson

Oral Roberts

David Nunn

Wm. Branham

W.V. Grant

Wm. Hagen

Dale Hanson

Tommy Hicks.

Hall's writings on fasting and diet as a means to spiritual restoration
might easily be seen as the primitive beginnings of today's "Christian
holism."

Occult Influences

That there is a definite occult influence on Hall's career is evident
in other writings. His book, 'The Return of Immortality', suggests
that Christians can learn how to become immortal through stages of
spiritual growth. This involves experiences with "UFO's, and the
UIO gravitational and levitation control."

His teachings on attaining immortality in this life through psycho-spiritual
exercises and righteous living were the foundation upon which many
in the Latter Rain and subsequent movements based their immortalization
theories.

Hall's main point in his immortalization theory is that "the sleeping,
so called, unfoundationally built church"must awaken to "a real cause
and calling, that when God's word is completely acted upon and complied
with, will result in bringing about the real gushers and torrents
of the long, past due, RAIN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, a rain of IMMORTALITY
UPON THE EARTH that so many prophets have written about and portrayed
in their prophesies". (emphasis Hall's).

Hall's premise is not, however, predicated upon God's promise of
immortality for the faithful after their resurrection.

This is evidenced by his following words: "Permanent, lasting freedoms
from all sickness, harmful accident things and defeat will come about.
Freedom from the imprisonment of all gravitational forces will also
be brought upon the whole man. This study teaches one the power and
secrets of space flight. Space floatation [sic] and hovering ability.
It gives the Bible formula for weightlessness, the 'raising up' power
of those who come to immortality." (Jn.6 chapter and Rom.2:7)."(11)

In his book, Hall gives "evidence" of his already having attained
a degree of "immortality" (which allegedly affects everything that
comes in contact with the immortal person's body): "Brother Hall's
light colored jacket is seven years old and has never been pressed
or cleaned or aireated in 7 years, since new, yet it has been worn
repeatedly in many overseas countries and regularly in all crusades
everywhere (excepting one). It has been on more than 200 airlines
in travels. It has no spots, stains, discoloration or body odors
anywhere on it or inside it - similar to the children of Israel's
clothes under the Glory, Immortality Cloud of Fire Power." (12)

The attainment of "Immortality blessings" are alleged by Hall to
be more successfully attained through open-eye prayer. "Coming with
closed eyes," he stated, "destroys faith." (13)

Hall claims that there is an "Immortal Substance" that comes upon
the believer who feeds upon it "from within Christ's now body" -
the "FIRE - IMMORTAL - PACKED - BODY"(Emphasis Hall's).

This "Immortal Substance" is claimed to be seen on those who attend
Hall's meetings, as a fine gold and silver, sparkling material that
emanates from sometimes visible "Immortal Heavenly Objects" (IHO's),
"Unusual Heavenly Objects" (UHO's), and "Unidentified Flying Objects"
(UFO's).

In Hall's words, "The sparkling shining FINE GOLD and SILVER are
seen upon their SKIN, brought about through the faith-power of impartation.
The polished brass, the beryl stone appearances are even now manifested
today."

He challenges the reader to see and behold these phenomena by attending
"the International Holy Ghost and Fire Seminars of Brother and Sister
Franklin Hall."

This sparkling material Hall calls, "The shiny metal like, Jesus'
substance." While Hall has many excellent things to say about fasting
from the standpoint of good health, when it comes to spiritual matters
he often transcends sensibility and delves into areas of the occult.

Hall's writings are replete with strange, even weird statements
difficult to decipher. The following, though a bit lengthy and poorly
written, are examples:

'So much has been said about the travels of the astronauts, about
conquering space and even going to Venus or Mars, about the power
behind the saucers. The overcoming saints, however, are hundreds
of years ahead of our scientists. These heaven projected saints
will be so clothed and covered with the Immortality, supernatural,
ZOOMING sparkling Substance, that it will be no more trouble at
all for them to take off.
"Where will they go?
"They will fly right into the Glory Cloud residence of our Lord
and Savior, Heaven in Him. Into His Cloud Fire Body. (Rev.12:5)
"What distance will they go?
"The distance, at first, may not be very far away, however, as
the 8th church from out of the 7 churches of revelation, called
the 'overcomers,' become more and more adjusted and acclimated
to Holy Ghost Space flight, great distances taken, will seem like
no distance at all.'

"Jesus taught a small, but precious group of His followers - those
who were able to bear it, that gravity would be completely loosed
from them, in the last days, when they learned how to train their
appetites into a different channel. We must learn to labor for
the meal that endures unto everlasting (IMMORTAL) life. The meat
that draws us away from gravity holding things. Jn.6:27. "

"...The quickening power of the Holy Spirit brings about Immortality
REVERSE ENERGY EMPOWERMENT."

"Gravity-freed, great people will run up walls, not break rank,
and if they fall on a sword, the Immortality power from Jesus'
body, on them, will protect them. It appears that, they also can
walk or run upside down. See Joel 2:3-11."(emphasis Hall's in all
quotes).

Many prominent teachers credit the empowerment for their ministries
(especially healing ministries) on his book on fasting and prayer.
It's clear that Hall's teachings are a blend of occultism with Christianity.
And since his teachings formed the basis of those that came after,
and since the influence of those teachings upon neo-Pentecostalism
is so great, close scrutiny of every ministry they touched is necessary.

You'd think that nobody in their right minds would accept the sort
of occultic nonsense that Hall churned out. Quite the contrary! Not
only did hundreds of leaders in the churches adopt Hall's fasting
regime and search for the Glory at the time his book came out, but
they have continued to hero-worship the man ever since. These teachings
are now part of the revival along with other sonship/latter-rain
and manifested-sons teachings that ought to have been thrown in the
bin on first reading.

As you see from the current outbreak of gold miracles, if you demand
unbiblical signs and manifestations, they will be provided for you
- but not from the Lord! Satan is now being permitted to produce
JUST the very manifestations that Hall and his followers expected,
and as a result, they are also seeking after the Glory and even in
many cases the immortalisation.

But Franklin Hall is by no means the ONLY teacher in this field.
Many others are being held up as the Fathers of the Latter-Day outpouring.

The Coming of the Glory

Suddenly, revival networks are all abuzz on the subject of "the
glory". Over the years, revival churches have had many temporary
visitations of the glory cloud, but a permanent covering and indwelling
of this glory (the Shekinah, the very Presence of God) has always
been expected. Now they believe this event is very near.

A taped message by Tommy Tenney called "The Glory of God"
spoke of his longing for a PERMANENT habitation for God ON EARTH.
(Tenney is the author of "The God Chasers" and see below
for his name listed as a speaker along with many other influential
leaders including C. Peter Wagner).

"I thank God for what He has done. I bless Pensacola. I bless
Toronto. I thank God for all of these moves of God, but I am going
to tell you something, we have not yet seen what happens when the
glory of God falls in a city. ....What we have got to have in the
church today, we must have the manifest presence of God on display
for the world. We have all been in services where we have had visitations
of God. I have had enough visitations. Something has to change
so that we can have habitations. We must shift from momentary visitations
to places of habitation where there is an indwelling glory of God
in our midst and on our people.
I wonder how many times we have had a visitation of God in our
services as He stood at the backdoor in His coat and tie, and we
said "the glory of God is here." But too soon it escaped us, because
we didn't know what He was looking for. We begged Him, "why don't
you stay"? Why can't we keep these minutes? I'll tell you, it is
very simple, we have not yet built the mercy seat that will hold
the glory of God. There is no where for Him to sit. ...
I want to prophesy something, the church that gains the ability
to build a mercy seat, when He comes, He will stay. ... If we build
a mercy seat, the bible says that He is enthroned in our worship,
and in our praise. What happens is that God literally moves His
throne from heaven. When this happens the church is building a
chair, a seat, a place for God to come. We can stand and beg for
Him to come all that we want, but until there is a place for Him
to come to, He will visit, but He can't stay.
They will tell you in Toronto and Pensacola, that is not revival
yet, we have yet to see it. But some church somewhere, if the glory
of God is going to cover the earth like the waters cover the sea.
It has got to start somewhere, someplace, some group somewhere
is going to build a seat for the glory of God, and the water that
flows from that place will eventually cover the earth. The fountains
of the deep are going to be open, and the glory of God will cover
the earth. ... "

The sprinklings of gold are but a precursor to the main event, which
will be the return of God to the earth, not as Jesus Christ, but
as the Spirit IN and UPON the Body, bringing it to completion and
fulness, having the Spirit "without measure" and becoming
the very Christ Himself upon earth - the Corporate Christ.

One Toronto follower saw in a vision the gold dust being created
and blown through Heaven's door by the stamping hooves of the WHITE
HORSE with its rider waiting impatiently to come. The door at present
was open only a crack, but they are working passionately on "opening
the gates" to let the "King of glory" through. What
will happen then to all those who do not subscribe to such beliefs?

When "the glory" comes in fulness, it is believed that
ONLY the "anointed ones", the so-called Overcomers or Remnant
or Manchild of the Woman will be transformed and sealed for service.
These prepared ones will be "perfected in holiness" and
will be protected and immune from all that follows. (Some even teach
they will be immortal, as we have seen from Hall's teachings). They
are the "144,000 sealed Remnant" according to this teaching.

While the Remnant are thus sealed by the angels from all harm, the
cleansing on earth will begin. Just as in Egypt, the Israelites were
protected and "passed over" while the destroying angel
went through the land. And in Ezekiel the angel is commanded to slaughter
all the unrighteous and "begin at my Temple" while the
righteous are sealed for protection.

Everyone else, including the major part of the world church, will
come under intense persecution and tribulation, because there must
be complete obedience to God before the Lord can return physically
and in Person.

Unfortunately, these events can lead to nothing but PERSECUTION
AND TRIBULATION for all normal, ordinary Bible-believing Christians.
As Al Dager comments below, it is those who refuse to submit to the
authority of the new Apostles and Prophets who are in line for judgement.
On the other hand, those who have chosen to throw in their lot with
the Manchild will be exempted. They will be distinguished from "the
rebellious" by the sealing upon their foreheads.

Obviously, then, only the SEALED will escape the Tribulation. The
distinguishing mark of the protected few will be the mark of God
(his name) upon their foreheads. Everyone else will be fit for the
fires of judgement. There will be intense pressure to receive this
sealing and thus be protected from harm!

Let Al Dager (writing in Kingdom Theology, Part
One on this site) link together the spiritual coming (the glory),
and the sealing or mark upon the foreheads of believers:

"Essentially then, Kingdom Theology sees the Second Coming
of Jesus in two stages:

first through the flesh of the believers (and in particular
the flesh of today's apostles and prophets), and then

in person to take over the Kingdom handed to Him by those who
have been victorious (the "overcomers").

In some circles it is believed that the overcomers will have become
immortal - they will have attained what is called "resurrection
life."
Whether immortal or not, it is generally agreed in Kingdom Theology
that the overcomers must purge the earth of all evil influences.
"Evildoers" must be converted or they will be punished and/or "destroyed
from off the face of the earth."
"Evildoers" have been variously described as drug pushers, murderers,
child molesters, thieves, prostitutes, and other such "scum" that
Jesus died for. It will interest the reader to learn, however,
that for many who teach Kingdom Theology, the term "evildoer" applies
to anyone who refuses to submit to God's authority (the latter
day apostles and prophets).
Those who do submit will be sealed with the "mark of God" in their
foreheads, and will escape the coming judgment."

Now, I don't know exactly why Al Dager made this comment, but one
thing I do know - he will have made it in the full knowledge, after
long research and the reading of many books, that the leaders actually
DO teach this! Al Dager is no sloppy researcher and we can take his
word for it, the mark will be urged upon all those who want to avoid
the coming judgement.

JAMES McKEEVER (Editor and publisher of 'Endtimes News Digest,'
author, lecturer, and financial consultant) also speaks of this sealing
as immunity from harm. In an article entitled, "When Is The Rapture?"
McKeever states that the Great Tribulation will be a time when God's
people will supernaturally destroy their enemies:

"When the children of Israel went into the promised land, God
could have caused all the evil inhabitants of the land to disappear.
However, that is not God's pattern. He uses His people as an army
when He wants to get rid of evil people....
"People ask me if I am afraid to go through the tribulation or
if thinking about it makes me gloomy or sad. The exact opposite
is true. I am excited about going through the tribulation, as a
bondslave of God. I am excited about getting His seal on my forehead
and being protected against Satan, because we know that the victory
is ours in Jesus Christ."(James McKeever, "When Is The Rapture?",
'End-Times News Digest,' Special Introductory Issue (Medford, OR:
Omega Ministries, 1985, p.8.

The Corporate Christ or Many-Membered Body of Christ will escape
the coming judgement and Tribulation they believe. Everyone else
is judged but they are spared!

Certainly there will be judgment on the earth. For during this
glorious Day of the Lord, Satan and all his hordes will be raging,
having been cast out of the heavens and knowing that his time is
short. All who are not sealed by God in their foreheads (Revelation
7:3, 14:1) will suffer the wrath of that awful day. But we are
not appointed unto wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), but to obtain full
deliverance and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. And though
Satan rages for awhile, he is defeated. And though the nations
drink of the cup of the wrath of God, as they certainly deserve,
yet in His mercy He shall send them deliverance in the person of
His Son, His many-membered Son! --- He is imparting special abilities
unto those who are His own, and to ye who will believe it, He gives
the fulness of His throne. A new name has He written in thy forehead,
and hidden manna for thee to eat; have no fear of the adversary,
for God's army suffers no defeat. " (Bill Britton "Light From The
Shadows".)

THE PROPHET'S TIMETABLE

Dear Family in Christ, The following are some of the things I
believe the Lord has been indicating to me that will transpire
in this coming year: The sealing of God's remnant will begin this
year (Ezek. 9, Rev. 7). Bob Jones and others have commented on
this more in depth and in greater scope.

BOB JONES: SHEPHERD'S ROD FOR 1999 - THE BRANDING IRON
The Lord then displayed a "Branding Iron" coming from heaven. The
branding iron is for the purpose of placing the seal of God upon
those who have allowed the purging and consecrating work of the
Holy Spirit and lamented over the sins of the church and this nation.
This Divine Mark is for the purpose of bearing a clear distinction
between those who are wholly His and those who are not.
"You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on
it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.' (Exodus
28:36)
And the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, {even}
through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads
of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are
being committed in its midst." (Ezekiel 9:4)
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD
gave attention and heard {it,} and a book of remembrance was written
before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.
"And they will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that
I prepare {My} own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares
his own son who serves him."
So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked,
between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. (Malachi
3:16-18)
The Lord has a Book of Rembrance and in it the names are being
inscribed of those who have listened obediently to the Voice of
the Spirit in the Fear of the LORD and esteemed His name as Holy.
Their names are being recorded in this book to clearly distinguish
between the righteous and the wicked, clearly displaying those
who serve the Lord and those who do not serve Him. [thus, if you
don't have this branding, you are not in the Book of Life!!]
The Lord sees the sincerity of a heart and will distinguish between
these by placing His seal of "HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD" upon those
who have served Him in righteousness and obedience. An angelic
host will be sent through the earth marking on the foreheads the
seal of God for those who have groaned and sighed over the abominations
being committed in the earth.

The Corporate Christ has been "hidden in the womb of the Woman,
the Church" for centuries, and remained only a topic of conjecture
and speculation in sonship books until the latter part of this century.
However, since 1994 this "manchild" has been "birthed"
progressively by the intercessors in revival churches, complete with
labour pains and pushing. The Remnant are already in process of being
anointed by the Toronto outpourings; the glory is already on the
way, and shortly the Remnant company will receive the "fulness"
of the Spirit as the Glory descends permanently from heaven.

This puts us close to the sealing of the Remnant. Personally, I
believe the Lord is saying that the "sealing" (whatever
this turns out to be) is nearly here; although one thing's for sure
- the prophets of this revival have no idea when or how! They are
stabbing in the dark.

"The Remnant Seed", a prophecy by Bob Jones at Hamilton,
Ontario, March 1998:
" .And now my government is in place, and in a time of great
stress I shall bring forth my next step, for Toronto was a step,
Brownsville was another step; My next step will be my glory, and
signs like you have never seen before...".

One e-mail to a prophetic site repeated a view that is becoming
more popular, that the number NINE is significant and therefore the
coming date of 9/9/99 will bring the birth of the Corporate Christ:

"I believe that we have been having birth pains since 1987
and then we moved into labor pains in 1997 and we will begin to
see the unveiling of Christ as the Head of the Corporate Child
begins to to be seen on 9-9-1999. Those nines will roll over staring
a New Day and a New Year on 9-11-1999 which is the Jewish New Year
and the Feast of Rosh haShanah."

Those who see these things allegorically say that nine is the "number
of the Holy Spirit" since there are nine spiritual gifts (Bill
Hamon), and that nine is the gestation of a child, thus nine months
from January to September this year brings forth the Holy Child,
the Christ on earth through the womb of "Mary" the Church
(Bob Jones):

BILL HAMON: The Word of the Lord for 1999 (Excerpt from the message
delivered by Dr. Bill Hamon on December 31, 1998 - "The Church
Aligned in 1999 To Arise and Shine In God’s Appointed Time" )
We have never had one-nine-nine-nine before. Nine is the number
of the Holy Spirit. One is unity. With one, unity/God and triple
Holy Spirit or Godhead, there must be something good in this year!
But everything that’s good for God’s people becomes judgment to
the wicked.

Now that we are well into the year 2000 and the nine months turned
out to be another fraud perpetrated on the Body of Christ, the nine
months gestation has been shifted to July 2001, according to this
new "prophecy" by Chuck Pierce given October 19, 2000,
at the 14th annual International Gathering of Apostles and Prophets
at Christian International Ministries Network. (Founder, Bill Hamon):

"NINE MONTHS OF TESTING ON MY PROPHETS" -- A Word through Chuck
Pierce, Global Harvest Ministries (www.glory-of-zion.org)
"The Lord would say to us. This is a time, nine months of testing
will now be upon My prophets saith the Lord. And, I say do not
despise this testing. For this testing will produce an enlargement.
And, I say to you this 9 months of testing will not only create
enlargement. But, it will bring to birth that which I want to present
to this world for the future. So, I say the 9 months of testing
is now beginning. But, birth will come. And, as birth comes mid
July to the end of July,
I say you will begin to be sent forth as the reformers of lands
saith the Lord. I say to you the water level is now rising. I say
get ready for you are about to be thrust in over your head. ---
I say also I am beginning to create a synergistic wave that is
about to hit you, knock you upward and lift you up and, bring you
into new places saith the Lord. --- And, I would say to you this
is the day of restoring My tabernacle. But, not only will it come
through praise, worship and prayer; but, I say now the prophets
will wear a new warfare mantle. And, as they war, restoration will
overtake the earth saith the Lord."

Notice that restortation is now increasingly linked to WARFARE.
As a matter of fact, if you do study the scriptural use of the number
nine, you'll find it refers to JUDGEMENT, not the Holy Spirit! Let
me place here a paragraph from Bullinger's book "Number In Scripture"
which ought to worry us in the light of the above -

The number nine is a most remarkable number in many respects.
It is held in great reverence by all who study the occult science;
and in mathematical science it possesses properties and powers
which are found in no other number. It is the LAST of the digits
and thus marks THE END; and is significant of the CONCLUSION of
a matter.
It is AKIN TO THE NUMBER SIX, six being the sum of its factors
(3x3 = 9 and 3+3 = 6)and is thus significant of the END OF MAN
(six) and the summation of all man's works. Nine is therefore THE
[BIBLICAL] NUMBER OF FINALITY OR JUDGEMENT.

I now turn to a timetable of events as previously envisioned by
Chuck Pierce. (He appears to have moved the goalposts since then!)

CHUCK PIERCE (now known as "Apostle"
Chuck Pierce) has been appointed Peter Wagner's Director of
the World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs which is "a
nerve center that coordinates, develops and establishes a network
for the worldwide prayer". He also serves as Prayer Leader
of the Spiritual Warfare Network Intercessors and Vice President
of Global Harvest Ministries. (C. PETER WAGNER is International
coordinator for the United Prayer Track and the Spiritual Warfare
Network of the AD 2000 and Beyond movement, and founding president
of Global Harvest Ministries. In addition, he serves as Professor
of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena,
California.)

I will be mentioning some of these "names" in the Revival
movement in connection with the sonship doctrines. As you will discover,
the networking amongst all these people means that the doctrines
are planted and taught throughout the Church, not confined to a small
sonship niche.

On the subject of networking, Chuck Pierce states his intention
to relate to a number of Latter Rain teachers: "One of the prophecies
from last year said that there will be much bridge building going
on in the prophetic and apostolic among many groups. Already in 1999
I’m going to be a part of several group meetings where the prophets
are coming together. In late January, Paul Cain, Cindy Jacobs, Peter
Wagner, Jim Garland, Rick Joyner, myself, and many others are going
to be joining together."

Pierce states that "Spiritual Timing is the key this year.
This is what I see the Lord doing by Quarters, this year".

First Quarter (Jan-March) PREPARATION - means to erect the frame,
set in order and be ordained to perfection and completion.

Second Quarter (April-June) EMPOWERING & RELEASE - a new
immersion of God's love within his people; this will produce a
new manifestation of the Spirit of God within us and will equip
us for harvest.

Third Quarter (July-Sept) WARFARE - We will be warring from a
new level of anointing. This will create the openings in the heavenlies
that will release God's blessings. Revelation 12 will become key
for us at that critical crossroads in the history of the Church
[NB: Revelation chapter 12 is the woman giving birth to the Manchild
and the War in Heaven, etc]- the Breaker Anointing will be upon
us. Churches all over America should have their prayer strategy
and prayer room positioned and operating. He will give them a new
mantle with new authority for their region.

Aspects of the Sealing - Various
Mentions

Here are a number of mentions of the sealing, showing that the doctrine
is already taking hold. Perhaps you know of other books or websites
that mention the coming mark?

At Bobby Conner's Prophetic
website- a site that links to Bob Jones, on their "Shepherd's
Rod" page: "Pressure on the Forehead" - The next event
that happened to me was that I suddenly had pressure on my
forehead. It was as if a very hot hand was being pressed
against my forehead directly above my eyes. I feel this is
a sign of the Lord's marking or branding upon the foreheads
of his servants.

New Wine Archives, November 10, 1998
Subject: Vision of Kneeling Saints & House of Refuge
Dear saints of the Most High God,
---I saw a woman in labor pain, and many of these people have been
faithfully crying out to God. ---The light [in the vision shining
upon them like a searchlight beam] represents the angels that God
has sent out to His people and in the days ahead. God will seal
not only individual people but there are instances when whole families
are being called and sealed by the Lord for His special work.The
house of refuge [in the vision] represent saints whose whole family
has been sealed by the Lord's angels for works of great importance.
As in the days of Joseph, so you will shine and your whole family
will be sealed and will be set apart. And people around you will
see, and people surrounding you will be amazed and they will know
that my favor is upon you.

John G Lake (an old-timer much revered by the Word of Faith fraternity
and hailed as an Apostle who manifested the fulness of God within).
He experienced the sealing of his forehead as follows:

"Then I became conscious of a change coming over me, instead
of the rain, currents of power were running through me from my
head to my feet, seemingly into the floor. These shocks of power
came intermittently, possibly ten seconds apart. They increased
in voltage until, after a few minutes, my frame shook and vibrated
under these mighty shocks of power. Then as I shook and trembled,
the shocks of power followed each other with more apparent rapidity
and intensity. My forehead became sealed. My brain in the front
portion of my head became inactive, and I realized the spirit speaking
of His seal in their foreheads.I could have fallen on the floor
except for the depth of the chair in which I sat. Again a change.
The shocks of power lessened in intensity and now have taken hold
of my lower jaw. It moved up and down and sidewise in a manner
new to me. My tongue and throat began to move in a manner I could
not control. Presently, I realized I was speaking in another tongue,
a language I had never learned. 0, the sense of power. The mighty
moving of the Spirit in me. The consciousness it was God who had
come. (John G. Lake: The Complete Collection Of His Life Teachings,
Compiled by Roberts Liardon - Page 79)

This portion illustrates both the nature and result of the "sealing".
It is said by some to be the "receiving of the mind of Christ".

GOD appointed who would meet with Him in the Feasts. All the males
of Israel were to keep the Feasts and appear before Him in the
place where He put His name; so the Feasts are especially for sons....In
Old Testament economy that was first in the tabernacle in the wilderness
and later in the temple at Jerusalem. In New Testament fulfillment
it is first of all in Jesus Christ and then in His many-membered
body. The name of the Lord, which means the nature of the Lord,
was recorded in the life of Jesus Christ and now is being sealed
in the foreheads of His firstfruits company who are putting on
the precious mind of the Christ. (Preston Eby "Looking For
His Appearing")

There is much I could say about that, but I will restrain myself
for now in order to press on with the main message. However, notice
that John Lake's mind became passive and paralysed. Receiving the
mind of Christ is often associated with a spiritual awakening with
direct communication between the spiritual realm and the earthly
realm. Clearly this parallels the New-Age "opening of the third
eye" which resides in the middle of the forehead. One New Age
mention of the sealing is by Barbara Marx Hubbard:

Remember that "israel" means those people who choose to believe
in one God with all their heart, mind and spirit. It is not as
biological Jews, nor as biological Christians, that you will be
selected. The selection is based on your inner awareness that God
is one, that you are the heir of God, and that you desire to follow
the intention of the Creator with all your might.
These believers are the ones who are most sensitive to God's Design.
Each shall be "sealed" with the seal of the living God. This means
that they shall be marked, visibly identified, first to themselves,
then to others. This means that their inner eye in the forehead
will be fully opened by this touch, henceforth separating them
from all who are still asleep in the womb of selfcenteredness.
It is those of you who are now hearing an inner voicetelling you
to put this purpose first, to put the love of the Kingdom first,
to put the love of evolution first; You are now being visibly touched
by the animating hand of God You are, even now, visibly different
from those who live in the darkness of self-centered consciousness.
("The Revelation" Page 139)

Apart from anything else, this sealing with the mind of Christ has
the result of transforming the mind completely and utterly, changing
it to a "new paradigm" and altering the thinking to such
an extent that the old ways are completely overthrown. It also opens
up the natural mind to hear and see in the spiritual realm. (This
is all part and parcel of the "overshadowing", too, of
which I will speak later.)

WHAT FORM WILL THE MARK TAKE?

Before I get too far into this section, I must ask the question,
will this sealing be a VISIBLE mark or just a spiritual experience?

I think at this stage I have to say, I don't really know, yet somehow
I believe there could be a visible element to the sealing. Why? Because
the Church has recently been prepared for this event by VISIBLE signs
in the form of gold teeth and gold dust appearing on their hands
and foreheads.

God has once again been gracious and loving to anyone remaining
in the churches who has doubts about what is coming. God has given
a forewarning of events to come. Those who could not square the gold
miracles with scripture and/or who discerned their origin from deceiving
spirits, took a step back and mentally put it on the back burner.
It was their "wake-up call" from God to examine the way
things are headed!

The gold has provided yet another dividing line in the Church. Those
who accepted it without thought, or study, or prayer, without seeking
God as to the meaning or origin, showed themselves ideally suited
to accept any other manifestation that comes along. Others were in
doubt and sought the Lord for answers. Even though they may have
unwillingly half-accepted the manifestations, there were alarm bells
ringing in their spirits. These are the ones who will draw the line
at a sealing on the forehead, and part company with the apostates
as they rush headlong toward their appointed end.

So, the gold dust and teeth have been a preparation, both for the
doubters (in rejecting it) and for the unheeding (in showing themselves
to be open to error). The fact of a permanent physical sign in the
form of gold leads me to believe that there could be a visible element
to the spiritual sealing of the anointed manchild company. (However,
even without this, the danger of deception is very real and the warning
is equally valid with or without a physical mark.)

There has also been a preparation for a physical anointing on the
forehead, as this e-mail shows:

GLOBAL PRAYER INITIATIVE - Sign Of The Cross Used -"It has
come to my attention that the people in our area that are praying,
like Meyer, are connected to the Kansas City Prophets and Rick
Joyner. They are making the sign of the cross and anointing with
oil whenever they can."

Now the relevance of this comment will be seen with the following
statement by a Catholic priest teaching on the mark of the cross
in Baptism. Roman Catholics are already fully prepared for the idea
of a sealing:

Baptism: We Are Marked by God.
Receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your forehead and
upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.
In Ezekiel 9, the Lord calls for the seven men who have charge
over the city. Six come with battle-axes. He sends them out to
kill. "[Don't show] pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young
men and maidens, women and children, but"--what a blessed word!--"do
not touch anyone who has the mark" (Eze. 9:5,6). Before the warriors
brought vengeance, God commanded the seventh man,who did not have
a weapon but a writing kit, to go out among the people. Whoever
repented and wept over the sin of God's people, he was to be marked
on the forehead. The mark consisted of the last letter of the Hebrew
alphabet, which originally looked like an X. Those with the mark
lived. It's still the same today. "Receive the sign of the holy
cross," the pastor says, as God gives the mark of life in Holy
Baptism--the mark that conquers death, sin, hell, and Satan.---
For there are only two kinds of people: Those marked by the cross
and those who aren't--those who will live forever and those who
won't. --- It is the seal that names him--and us--as God's children
forever. (from http://www.lcms.org/wor/83bapt.html)

Here's another sign of the preparatory work the devil is doing in
getting people to accept the idea of a physical mark. More and more
Christian youngsters are getting tattoos on their bodies, despite
the direct condemnation in scripture for this practice - "Ye
shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print
any marks upon you: I am the LORD". Leviticus 19:28

Reporter Douglas Todd of The Vancouver Sun visited the Vineyard
Christian Fellowship in Langley, British Columbia, and found that
tattoos are the newest "in thing" for Vineyard Christians. Amy Bonde,
who is a staff member at the Vineyard in Langley, has a large Celtic
cross tattooed on the small of her back. Encircling the cross are
Hebrew letters that allegedly mean, "I am my beloved's, and he is
mine." Bonde says the tattoo signifies that she looks upon Jesus
Christ as her "lover." Another Vineyard member, Peter Davyduck, has
a tattoo of the word "SIN" on his ankle. He says this is a message
to "judgmental Christians that everyone is a sinner and should be
accepted in spite of it."

Bob Jones in the quote above prophesies that there will be a BRANDING
on Christians. Branding originally meant the searing of flesh with
a hot iron to produce a scar with an easily recognizable pattern
for identification or other purposes. Branding, formerly used on
human beings (salves) is more commonly used for animals today. Branding
today is often done with chemicals, tattooing, paint, tagging, or
ear-notching. Its primary use is for the "proof of ownership"according
to one Encyclopedia.

One youth's personal Web page proudly boasts of Christian tattoos
and says " . . . The word I like to use is tau-too. Tau is a Hebrew
letter that means cross or mark, so it is a cross mark for God."

This lad also promotes a book on Tau-tooing and the Bible, although
TAU (as well as being a Hebrew letter of the alphabet) is today a
widely-recognised occult symbol. It is the gibbet-cross, the basis
of the Egyptian ANKH, and a Masonic symbol.

"Tau (Heb.) That which has now become the square Hebrew letter
tau, but was ages before the invention of the Jewish alphabet,
the Egyptian handled cross, the crux ansata of the Latins, and
identical with the Egyptian ankh. This mark belonged exclusively,
and still belongs, to the Adepts of every country. As Kenneth R.F.
Mackenzie shows, "It was a symbol of salvation and consecration,
and as such has been adopted as a Masonic symbol used by the ancient
Mexicans -- as its presence on one of the palaces at Palenque shows
-- as well as by the Hindus, who placed the tau on the brows of
their Chelas. [H.P. Blavatsky, Theosophical Glossary]"

There is ample evidence, I believe, for the equal-armed cross to
become the sacred mark received by initiates in this sealing
"of God".

The cross is near enough to the true Christian symbol to deceive
the unwary. Remembering that the mark of God upon the forehead is
"His Name" and bearing in mind the teaching that "His
Name is His Nature" then the nature of Jesus Christ and his
special sign is shown forth in the death on the Cross, and adopting
it would signify to a believer the SPIRITUAL DEATH of the believer
and his/her oneness with Christ.

Of course, the Christian cross does not have equal arms. However,
the Greek letter CHI is written as X. This has therefore become a
recognised shorthand in Church circles for writing "Christ"!
Recall that the word Xmas means CHRIST-mass. X therefore is the NAME
of Christ - will this be what appears on the foreheads of the Remnant?

(I
should point out that the mark of the beast also incorporates the
Greek letter X, for the number 666 is written in Greek CHI+XI+STIGMA
The letter X has the numerical value of 600)

The cross is a VERY ancient and meaningful symbol. It
could hardly be a better choice for this deceptive mark, since it
means all things to all men! To the Catholics it is the sign of baptism,
denoting their allegiance to Christ. But to the occultist it means
the meeting-place between heaven and earth where the spiritual meets
the natural.

One book describes the cross this way -

The Cross: A universal symbol from the most remote times.
It is the cosmic symbol par excellence. It is a world centre
and therefore a point of communication between heaven and
earth. It is a cosmic axis = the cosmic Tree, Tree of Life,
mountain, pillar, or ladder of ascension into heaven. The
vertical axis = celestial, spiritual, intellectual, positive
and male; the horizontal axis = earthly, rational, passive,
negative female. It is dualism in nature and the union of
opposites, and represents spiritual union and the integration
of man's soul into full life.

All this is perfect for describing the interaction between God and
man supposedly taking place at the time of overshadowing and the
reception of the sealing of God. It also perfectly symbolises the
open communication between the spiritual and natural realms that
will result in receiving the "mind of Christ".

THE LAST LETTER - TAU

We know that Jesus Christ said "I am the Alpha and Omega, the
First and the Last"He is the Beginning and the End. He is the
one who fires the starting gun of our spiritual race, and the one
who flags us at the finishing line, the Author and Finisher of our
race.

So once again Jesus is symbolised as the One who appears at the
END of time as the LAST LETTER of the alphabet.

In Hebrew that last letter is called Tau. In Hebrew today that letter
looks square, but in ancient times it looked LIKE A TRANSVERSE CROSS
(X). Not only that, but almost every ancient alphabet, including
Greek, had a cross for the last letter of their alphabet.

Considering all this, I believe there is a good chance that any
visible mark on the "sealed ones" would have to be the
equal-armed cross, and probably that cross would be of GOLD.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

A good question that somebody is bound to ask is - would receiving
this false seal actually be "taking the mark of the Beast"?

My own personal feeling is that a more literal and obvious mark
will come into play once the Man of Sin appears and begins his rule.
HOWEVER, this dry run in the churches can only be a preconditioning
for the 666 mark and may even be a spiritual counterpart to it. Receiving
this touch from an angel or a minister to receive a sealing of the
mind or a mark of ownership is about as dangerous as it gets.

I have more to say about the sealing, but in the interests of speed
and keeping this article small enough to load reasonably quickly,
I am going to continue the discussion in the next portion. There
I will look at:

IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:

(c) Tricia Tillin 2001

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